CLEVELAND CRUNCH MAKE HISTORY WITH A FULL-TEAM STAT LINE IN HIGH-SCORING BOUT VS FORT WAYNE

The Cleveland Crunch delivered a strong offensive performance on Saturday night, earning a 23-11 victory over Fort Wayne Summit City at the Soccer Sportsplex. With the win, Cleveland improves to 8-1 on the season, continuing to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the MLIS regular season.

Cleveland started strong, with Aidan Bozak opening the scoring just under four minutes into the match off an assist from Ryan Minick. The Crunch continued to apply pressure, adding first-quarter goals from Sami Mutemwa, Diego Pinto, David Jordan, Admir Suljevic, and Minick, taking a 6-1 lead after the opening frame. The second quarter saw Bryan Wolanski, Jannis Schmidt, and Suljevic extend Cleveland’s advantage to 14-2 at halftime.

Fort Wayne found its offensive rhythm in the third quarter scoring 5 unanswered goals, but Cleveland responded with goals from Omar Najjar, Kevin Blackwood, Jacob Roberto, and Vinny Bell to maintain control. The final quarter saw Minick, Bozak, and Roberto add to the total, securing the win for the Crunch.

This game marked a notable milestone for the Crunch, as every field player recorded at least one point or statistic for the first time since the team’s return in 2020. Admir Suljevic, in his first game back from injury, led the way with five goals and two assists, earning MetroHealth Man of the Match honors. Suljevic extended his goal streak to 15 consecutive games and has now registered a point in all 97 games he has played for the Crunch. Ryan Minick (2 goals, 3 assists) and David Jordan (2 goals, 2 assists) were also key contributors, while Jannis Schmidt, Jacob Roberto, and Kevin Blackwood each recorded multi-point games.

Goalkeepers Scot Santa and Liam McIntosh split time in net, with Santa earning the win. McIntosh also made an impact offensively, assisting on a fourth-quarter goal by Minick.

The Crunch now turn their attention to their next home match on March 15 against the Omaha Kings, a highly anticipated rematch of the 2024 MLIS Championship Game. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Cleveland defeated Omaha 9-4 at Baxter Arena in April 2024 to claim the title. For more information on the Cleveland Crunch, upcoming games, and ticket sales, visit www.theclevelandcrunch.com.